Oshkosh Gets $44.2M for Truck Rebuilds and Introduces Unmanned Trucks
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Oshkosh Truck Corp. in Oshkosh, WI was awarded on Dec. 16, 2005, the full delivery order amount of $44.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for Rebuild of the M1070 Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) Trucks, M1074 and M1075 Palletized Loading System (PLS) Trucks, Fuel Tank Assemblies and M1076 Palletized Loading System Trailers. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2006. This was a sole source contract initiated on Sept. 23, 2004 by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MiI (W56HZV-04-D-0322).
Oshkosh has an impressive remanufacture program. Their HET trucks are flatbeds that usually transport tanks, and DID has covered the importance of the Palletized Loading System items before in changing battlefield logistics. The PLS has several variants, and the Fuel Tank Assemblies can be part of a PLS modular fuel farm system. That number of variants is about to expand, too, thanks to Oshkosh’s DARPA Grand Challenge 2005 finisher TerraMax...
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On January 23, 2006, Oshkosh Truck Corporation announced that it has unveiled an unmanned version of its Palletized Load System (PLS) vehicle at the U.S. Army Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Component Technology Demonstrations in Yuma, AZ. At present, Oshkosh is demonstrating a real-world mission scenario as the driverless truck transports cargo between destinations seven miles apart in the Arizona desert.
The unmanned navigational kit being applied to the PLS was tested at the 2004 and 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge races, and has undergone additional testing in desert environments, similar to those in the Middle East. Oshkosh is partnered with Rockwell Collins and the University of Parma, Italy, on the development of this unmanned navigational kit.
DID Op/Ed…
Interesting application. Mind you, if I was an insurgent commander, I’d just learn to send snipers to shoot out the cameras. Much easier than having to go to all the trouble of blowing the vehicles up.
No doubt there are options for Oshkosh via follow-me slaving mode options, other sensors like LIDAR et. al., and sensors that can be made inconspicuous and/or protected. As exciting as the DARPA Grand Challenge was, however, developing unmanned technology for an environment that is actively trying to kill it introduces new considerations and a whole new level of complexity. We wish Oshkosh luck… just as long as they promise never to put this stuff on the semis that share the road with us here at home.
